Vehicle wheel rim



w. c. KEYS VEHICLE WHEEL RIM md sept.v 2o, 1919 Patented May 5, 1925.,

UNITED STATE PA'FENT GFFICE.

WALTER e. KEYS, or CLEVELAND, onto, Assieivea, Er iirEsivE Assieniiisivrs, To JAMES n. waeEivnoEsr, er mensen, ifiiciiieaii.

vEnrcLE WHEEL Eri/i.

Application filed September 20, 1919. Serial N'o. 325,242.

To all whom t may cmi-067%.'

Be it known that I, lVALTEn C. Kurs, a citizen ofthe United States, and a resident ol Cleveland, county oi Cuyahoga, State ot Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle llheel Rims, of which the following is a specil'ication.

rlfhis invention relates to vehicle wheel rims and more particularly to deinountable riins composed oli a plurality ot' Ycompleinentary arcuate sections which can be moved relatively to suoli a position that they no longer lie in the same plane, there by facilitating the removal of a tire troni the rim or its replacement thereon. @ne oit the objects ot this invention is the pro vision of means for holding the sections ot a rim of this type in the same plane, with their ends in alinement. Another object is the provision ot means which will aecomplish this result and will also serve'to hold the tire in place upon the rim.

`Other objects oit the invention and the vtentures oit novelty will be apparent from the lollowing specification when talien in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which ligure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation o a rim embodying iny invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a part o'l t-he rim shown in Fig. 1, showing. the manner in which the sections or the rim are hinged together; and

Fig. 3 a sectional view taken on the line 3 3 ot Fig. 3.

lathe drawings, I have illustrated a rini which is transplit at substantially diametrically opposite points to 'forni two substantially seniicircular arcuate sections 11 and 12. lilii'ige plates 13 are provided to underlic the ends ot the sections 11 and 12, such plates being rigidly secured to the section ll. by rivets 1 4-, or any other suitable means, and being pivotally secured to the section 1Q by rivets 15 which pass through the hinge plates and the section 12'adjacent the one edge of the section. vEach of the lines along which the rim is split is curved, the greater portion thereof being on an arc ot a circle substantially concentric with the rivets 15, as shown at 1G in Fig. 2, so that the section 11 can loe swung relatively to the section l2 to the position shown in dotted lines in the ligure. A portion of each line of split is preferably straight, as indicated at 17, to torni abutments which will limit the relative. swinging motion ot the sections 1l and 12 in one direction.

rlhe rim is provided at one edge with an integrally 'formed tire-retaining flange 18, and adjacent its other edge, with a circuniterential groove or channel 1.9! which` is adapted to receive a side ring 20, which cooperates with the liange 18 to retain the tire upon the rim, each olf the sections being -toi-ined with flange and channel portions which together form a continuous llange and a continuous channel when the sections are in the norma-l position shown in :tull lines in Fig. 2. The side ring 2O is provided with a base portion or welo 21 which extends into the channel 19 and is held from movement laterally of the rim by the walls 22 and 23 thereof which are suhstz'intially perpendicular to the base ot the rim. At one point in its crcun'iiference, the side ring` 2O is transplit, and suitable locking means are provided to secure the ring in place upon the rim. For this purpose, l have shown the ringl as having lugs adjacent its ends, which lugs are adai'ited to extend through oiienings in the rini and be locked in seated position by the engage nient ot the pivoted locking member 26, but. as the particular construction otl such locking means constitutes `no part of the present invention, a detailed description thereof is omitted, it being understood that any suitable ineans ot' securing' the side ring in seated `position may be employed.

Since the side ring 2O vis in a single piece and its web 21 is securely seated in the cha-nnel 19 and extends across the joints between the sections 11 and 12, it will be evident that the engagement ot the web 21 with the side walls 22 and 523 at the ends ot the secY tions will prevent relative swinging motion of the sections. The danger oft a collapse of the riin by an accidental blow thereon, during` handling or while the rim is being carried-as a spare, is, therefore, avoided by the use ot a side ring of this type, and the rigidity ot the rim will be materially increased. In removing a tire from the rim, the side ring must be lirst removed from the rim and the rim then collapsed, by swinging the section 11 relatively to the section 12, and a slight relative movement ot the sections will suiiice to permit the removal ot the tire, since the bead thereof need not be lifted over a flange.

lllhile I have illustrated and described a preferred form of my invention, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific structure described, and I, therefore, intend to cover all such constructions as come within the scope ot the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A vehicle wheel rim comprising a plurality of arcuate sections the ends ot which are normally in abutting relation throughout their width, said sections being hinged together at points removed from their ends whereby they are capable of relative movement laterally ol the plane of the rim and in such lateral movementl the ends are relatively displaced laterally, and a one-piece detachable flange-ring `on said rim adapted to normally hold said rim ends against relative movement.

2. A vehicle wheel rim comprising a plurality of arcuate sections grooved along one sideand having their ends normally in abutting relation, hinges connecting said sections and whereby they are capable of relative movement laterally of the plane of the rim, and a. one-piece flange-ring seated in said groove and bridging the joints between the ends ot said sections and thereby normally holding said `sections against relative movement.

3. A vehicle wheel rim comprising a plurality of arcuate sections grooved alongl one side and having their ends normally in abutting relation` hinges connecting said sections and whereby'they are capable ot relative movement laterally ot the plane ot the rim, and a one-piece iange-ring transversely split at one point in its circumterence and Aseated in said groove and bridging the oints between the ends ot' said sections, the split in said tlange-ring being spaced from the ends et said sections, whereby the flange-ring is adapted to normally hold said sections against relative movement.

et. A vehicle wheel rim comprising a plurality ofy arcuate sections grooved along one side and having their ends normally in abutting relation, hinges connecting said sect-ions and whereby they are capable of relative movement laterally or" the plane o'l the rim, and a one-piece .flange-ring transversely split at one point in its circumference and seated in said groove and bridging the joints between theends of said sections, the split in said flange-ring being spaced from the ends out said sections and the ends of the ring being detachably connected to one of said sections, the arrangement speciiied permitting said ring Yto hold -said'sections against relative movement.

5. A vehicle wheel rim comprising a pair of arcuate sections, the ends of which are normally in abutting relation throughout their width, hinge plates connected to the ends et one of the sections and extending beyond the splits between the sections and pivotally connected to the other section at points rei'noved trom the splits, the abutting ends being curved upon arcs struck from the pivots as centers whereby said ends arev Iapable ot relative movement laterally of the plane ot the rim, and a one-piece detachable tiange ring on said rim adapted to normally hold said rim endsagainst relative movement.

G. A vehicle wheel rim comprising a pair of arcuate sections grooved along one side and having their ends normally in abutting relation, hinge plates connected to the ends ot one of the sections and extending beyond the splits between said sectionsand pivotally connected to the other section at points removed itrom the splits, the abutting ends ot said sectionsv being curved upon arcs struck from the pivots as centers whereby said sections are capable oi relative movement laterally ot the plane ot the rim, and a one-piece flange ring transversely splitat one point in its circumference and seated in said groove and brit ging the joints between the ends ot said sections, the plit in said flange ring being spaced from the ends `olI said sections, whereby the tiange ring is adapted to normally hold said sections against relative movement.

7. A vehicle wheel rim comprising a pair ot' arcuate sections grooved along one side and having their ends normally in abutting relation throughout their width, hinge plates connected to the ends of `one of the sections and extending beyond the splits between the sections and pivotally connected to the other section at points removed from the splits, the abutting ends being curved upon arcs struck from the pivots as centers whereby said sections are capable of relative movement laterally of the plane of the rim, and a one-piece 'flange ring seated in said groove and bridging the joints between the ends olf said sections and thereby normally holding said sections against relative movement.

In testimony whereof I atiix my signature.

lili/HIPER C. 'IUC-YS. 

